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pet death question

Sent to Pet Experts July 18, 2006 12:42 p.m.

I had a dog that died, he had a spot on his head that that seemed soapy then a day the next day did not do anything but lay around. He did have diarhea and was vomiting, he also had green puss coming from his eyes. We took him to the vets and he had a fever of 107 degrees. they brought the temperature down to 104 then he went into cardiac arest and died, which by the time we brought him to the vet it the spot on his head had no fur and was raw skin. We are trying to figure out what might have caused this loss. We had a wedding reception the night before I saw the spot on his head and we had someone that did not care for the dog filling about 40 tiki torches. So we are trying to figure if maybe he had poured tiki torch fluid on the dog would that cause this to happen, he was using his paws to wipe or itch his head then he would lick his paws, or could it be a type of menangitis? Please help me find out if either of these is a possibility so we can settle the feud now in the family.

Optional Information:
Age: 8; Male; Breed: Dog - Golden /rotti mix?

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $10

Answer
July 18, 2006 12:49 p.m. (7 minutes and 0 seconds later)

REPLIED

My suggestion would be to have the vet do a necropsy to determine cause of death (like a human autopsy) to keep this from being a guessing game that causes hard feelings.
It is possible the dog got a burn on its head or was slipped or helped himself to something a dog shouldn't eat if it was around during the party. An inflamed pancreas from some fatty treats, a bone that caused an intestinal tear and infection, chocolate poisoning, licking up any spilled fuel oil, being out in the heat too long - so many things could cause the symptoms you saw. The spot on the head might have been related or not to the entire illness.
I think for the sake of your own knowledge and family peace a necropsy would be your best bet.
And as you lost a dear pet you may find www.petloss.com and the rainbow bridge story may bring you some small comfort.
Hope this helps you!

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Reply to Nancy Holmes
Sent July 18, 2006 12:52 p.m. (3 minutes and 30 seconds later)

What are the symptoms of menangitis and can dogs get this? Could tiki torch oil kill a dog?

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Answer
July 18, 2006 1:05 p.m. (13 minutes and 7 seconds later)

REPLIED

The oil used in the torches may be toxic if ingested. The best way to find out for sure is to look at the fluid containers to see what they say.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the brain and yes dogs can get this.
You can read about meningitis here
http://www.animalhospitals-usa.com/dogs/meningitis.html

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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 6712 Pet Accepts
30+yrs pet vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior & training, responsible breeding, small animal care

Reply to Nancy Holmes
Sent July 18, 2006 1:18 p.m. (12 minutes and 20 seconds later)

Would menagitis cause an infection in the brain? See we can't do an autopsy now he has been buried for about 2 weeks now, so we are just trying to get an idea what might have happened.

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Answer
July 18, 2006 1:21 p.m. (3 minutes and 43 seconds later)

ACCEPTED

Yes it does cause brain inflammation.
But it wouldn't have caused the spot on the head.
With that high fever I'd suspect infection or heat stroke as possibilities.
The green discharge in the eye area would go along with an infection such as canine influenza or distemper etc.
I would go back to the vet clinic that treated the dog and ask them what their best guess would be based on the symptoms they treated.

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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 6712 Pet Accepts
30+yrs pet vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior & training, responsible breeding, small animal care

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